Sunday, November 6, 2011

Jeff Horton was born in North Dakota, the youngest son of a career Air Force master sergeant, where he spent the first four years of his life before moving to North Carolina. A somewhat voracious reader growing up, he read everything from comic books to The Bible, including stories by many popular authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Jeff Horton's novel, The Great Collapse, a story about the coming of the pulse and the end of civilization, was published in 2010. He is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network.

When he's not penning his next novel, he enjoys reading, going to church, and spending time with his family. You can check out his website by clicking HERE.

He was gracious enough offer me an interview:

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I began my first attempt at writing several years ago, though I have always wanted to write. I decided long ago that should I ever have the opportunity to retire, I would like to spend much of my time writing.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?

Quite a few, though most of them were within the information technology field. I suspect I could spend the rest of my life quite content writing novels!

? How long does it take you to write a book?

It generally takes me several months to write the first draft of a novel, and several more months doing rewrites and final editing.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Probably my writing style. Although I'm sure that it is by no means unique, it is somewhat unusual. I prefer to write with only a loose idea of what the novel is about. As I write, the story takes on a life of its own, growing and taking on a unique form or signature all its own. When I'm about a third into the novel, I outline the remainder of the storyline, while remaining flexible to changes in direction and development.

? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?

Just as I outlined above. It always helps to have a quiet environment in which to write.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?

Most often the characters in my novels are an amalgam of people that I know or admire.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?

Usually what happens is that while I'm working on one project, the idea for another story comes to mind. I try to capture the idea before I lose it, so I can refer back to it at another time.

(Chuckling). That would have to be Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have no remembrance how it came into my possession, only that I seemed to have it even before I was able to read!

? What are you reading right now?

I've been quite busy on the release of my novels, but I was reading Mike Huckabee's latest book, an a book entitled, Evil Plans, a book about succeeding in life by taking a different path. The last novel I read was Flash Forward, a science-fiction novel which I immensely enjoyed.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?

AttendingChurch, spending time with my family, watching movies, etc.

? What is your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate, hands-down!

? What do you think makes a good story?

I believe it boils down to this; deep, interesting, and likeable characters.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?

After God (the Bible of course), it would be a tough second. Let's just say it would be a tie between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Tom Clancy, and Michael Crichton.

? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?

For whatever reason I don't seem to be the type to re-read the same novel over and over again. Once I read a story once, I like to move on to the next.

·Dogs or cats? Dogs, of course, cats have never given me enough attention!

·Coffee or tea? Coffee for sure! While I also enjoy tea, coffee rules!

·Dark or milk chocolate? Tough question! Dark is better for you, but milk chocolate tastes so much better! I guess I generally gravitate to milk chocolate the most often.

·Rocks or flowers? Hmm, metal. Flowers are beautiful but metal is more needful!

·Night or day? Day. While I enjoy the night as well, I can do more during the day!

·Favorite color? Blue or green. Blue for the sky and green for the grass.

The 2012 "Bucket List" Reading Challenge is the challenge to sign up for if YOU have a list of books that you are dying to read but just haven't gotten to them yet. The rules are simple for this challenge and I've also included a couple of sample "Bucket" Lists to provide a good starting point. NOTE: The link titled "Bucket List" Books is a list that I created and if you would like to add books to that list I encourage you to.

*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.